The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1887-04-15
JOSH COBB AND HIS DOGS.
An Eccentric Coon Hunters Life and
Sudden Death,


There never was a greater COON
hunter than old Josh Cobb, who be-
longed everywhere in this part of the
State, and yet nowhere in particular"
said an old-timer, who remembered his
subject well.
As for that, there never was a bet
ter hunter of anything in the shape Of
wild game than Josh was. His long.
single-barrelled rifle, his tall, gau6t
figure, and the sharp-eyed yellow dogs
that always trailed at his heels were
objects familiar in every town, village
and camp from the Lehigh to the Che
mung and the Delaware to the Susoue-
hanna 30 or 40 years ago.
There was mystery about his vel
low dogs that no one could ever solve.
People in those days, who had known
Josh for 40 years and more, never saw
him without the yellow dogs following
close in his tracks, yet they knew that
the dogs could not be the same ones
year in and year out.
" No one else was known to have a
dog OF the same breed as JOSh'S It
was long-limbed and long-haired with an
eye as wild and sharp as a VOLTS. Josh's
dogs never made friends with anyone
besides himself. When he stopped they
stopped, and never moved on until he
did
" During the 60 years that Josh
LAel lfFAf1NA dOOuL III NllO "OOuS IleSe
yellow dogs were his constant COM
panions.
d" Naturally In all these years the
hunter must have had at least six
different generations of dogs, and they
must all have been bred and raised
somewhere by himself.
" The secret died with the old hunter,
for since his death, a quarter of a cen
tury and more ago, no such dogs as his
mysterious, wOlf-like yellow ones have
ever been seen in this region.
" They were equally useful on the
deer trail, in the fox chase, after bear,
on the rabbit track, In the pheasant
hunt, or after the willy coon. They would
never hunt with a party unless Josh
was in charge of it. Josh never had
less than three of these strange un-
friendly animals at his heels. Ere
quently he had six or seven.
% Sometimes he would not be seen In
any of the villages for months at a time
and his appearance in town after these
long stays in the woods was always
signalized by his going on an extended
spree. He had but few words to say to
any one, even when drunk. but he was
determined in his purpose, and whatever
he made up his mind to do, drunk or
sober, no one could prevent him from
doing.
" When he was in liquor his dogs
watched about him constantly.
81 Once he came into the old Egypt
clearing and got drunk. He had five
dogs with him. A big bushwhacker
named Elijah HOar was there also
drunk Hoar was the terror of every
place whore he happened to be when
drunk. He was quarrelsOme, tyrannical
and brutal. I
a. On this occasion he tried to stir up
q quarrel with unOffcnding josh Cobb
and finally struck him. Instantly all
Ey-a Of bo hull
He fought his way out of the barroom,
and, as he went out of the door, shot
and killed one of the dogs, Josh's fav-
Orite. named Grad
- Josh got sober next day. He had
the dead dog buried but never said a
word or made any sign indicating that
he had any feeling in the matter. He
shoulderod his rifle and went back to the
woods with his remaining dogs.
- The day that Josh left the clearing
Elijah Hoar had gone back to his bark
job, over near NcbO Swamp. He didn't
come in to the cabin that night, and
next morning one of the men on the job
went out to see what the reason was.
He found HOar lying on his face by the
stump Of a big hemlock tree. He was
dead, with . rifle bah through his
heart
"There was never any evidence dis
covered that warranted the arrest of
any one on the charge OF having killed
the bark-p"eler, but no one ever had any
doubt as to who It was. Josh Cobb
had avenged the death OF his dog, as
sure rs the dog was dead.
" Old Josh's last hunt was in the
month Of February, 1856. That was a
favorite cOOn-hunting month of his,
Or rather cOOn-killing month, for as
no knew where he could 60 any time
and get the game no wanted, there
wasn't much hunting about it.
About that time of year the coons
are still huddling together in their VIM
tor nests in hollow trees. Thirty years
ago coon skins had a good market value,
and old Josh always made raid to-
ward the end of Winter.
Taking his dogs one day he went
over to Nebo Swamp, and in a short
time located eight trees, each one Of
which, his woodcTaft assured him, con
tanned a family of cOons snoozing away
IN the hollow trunk. He cut down one
tree after another, and his dogs soon
routed out the coOns and made short
work OF them.
Josh had felled seven Of the trees,
and 70 cOons were lying about on the
snow, ready to be gathered up and
skinned.
He set to work on the eighth tree,
which was what was known as pep
perage tree. It was dead and hollow.
One big limb stuck out from the trunk
40 feet from the ground.
" Josh worked away with his axe at
the trunk, and had the tree nearly ready
70 fall. when the big limb suddenly
Separated from the trunk and fell with
a crash. Josh could not get away in
time, and the heavy branch struck him
ON the head and he dropped to the
ground with crushed skull.
" Tho singular bowling of Josh's dogs
attracted the attention OF a mule
driver who was returning from the
backWoods by the road on the outer
sound In to the tree, and found Josh
lying senselesS.
" He carried him to the wagon,
followed by the whining dogs, and took
the wounded hunter TO the clearing.
Josh never came to, and died during the
night.
Az no one knew Of any relatives
of his ne was buried at the clearing.
His dogs fingered about the spot for
several days. and their bowling was so
distressing that il was resolved to shoot
the poor creatures, hut they disappeared
before tho resolution WAS carried Into
effect. Whatever became Of them DO
one ever knew"
The Right Time TO Water Horses.
Professor Pritchard, in a recent lee
ture, pointed out that one capital reason
why hOrs ses suffer so much from
indigestion I'm cold weather Is the
common practice of allowing them to
drink after feeding heartily